Time Is Like Toothpaste (Or Paint); A Tube of Birthday

I have a very tenuous grasp on time. I always think I can do more in the allotted time than is possible and then I end up rushing to avoid being late (usually unsuccessfully). This “time grandiosity” I suffer from also means I start the day, a weekend, or in the case of the drawing above, my birthday vacation, with a sense of infinite time. And then suddenly the time is gone and I’m shocked and dismayed.

Unlike a stream running or sand falling in an hourglass, toothpaste does not simply come out of a tube on its own – we force it out and use it up…Time does not fly by – rather, we push minutes, hours and days out of our finite toothpaste tube of life. ~ Sid Savara

So at the beginning of my vacation (back in June) I drew the tube of paint (seemed more appropriate than toothpaste) and marked off what I did each day. I paid attention to the choices I was making about how I squeezed out that day’s “paint.”

What about you? Do you choose how you squeeze out the hours of your life or do you feel like time is squirting by on its own?

Join the conversation!
9 Comments

That’s so funny! But I guess squeezing from the middle is better than..to mix a metaphor… squeezing it from both ends. I’m going to have to give that some more thought–what does it really mean to be a middle-squeezer in life? Jana

Such a fun image, Jana! Myself? Life is full of flow. I don’t seem to squeeze anything –the paint just rolls out. Caught up in the flow I am having a wonderful time with each moment, but sometimes it goes too fast for me and it’s tomorrow before I am through with today.
annie

I admire your wonderful easy going spirit! And that happens to me too–I often find myself in tomorrow because I’m not finished with today yet…but I have been trying to get to bed before it’s tomorrow. Lack of sleep never helps. Jana

The older I get, the more I realize how precious time is. I have a friend who is often bored and will do this or that because she had time to “kill”. That expression always makes me wince. Time is never to be wasted…in fact, it is fleeting. I learned through the experience with my mother, who died two years ago at the age of 95, that even if you live a long life, those last years can be like a cage, and you may not have the capacity to come and go as freely as younger years, having to depend on the largesse of others to care for you and, if you’re lucky, take you places (which hopefully you are well enough of body and spirit to enjoy). This train of thought always motivates me artwise. I started late at art–and am progressing much slower than I’d like…but enjoying every moment of the experience! Thanks for this article, Jana…

Time perception is one of those things that goes right to the heart of what we do. Seeing things intensely — noticing lots of features of a thing — seems to lengthen time (I think) as opposed to the rushing around aspect of modern life, which makes it feel like it flies by. Whenever I feel like too many things are happening, I try to remind myself to just “stop and look around.” It helps a lot! But goodness there are so many things in life designed to make one feel the need to rush. Being less ready to go along with all the rushing is a perennial challenge!

Subscribe by Email!

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Comments

Let me know what you think. Click "Comments" on any post to leave a comment. I read every one and then add my reply below yours. Or send an email to janabouc@gmail.com

Own an original or a print…

To purchase original paintings, please click above to visit my Daily Paintworks Sales Gallery or click on the "Available" link on images on this site. For prints, sketches or watercolors see HOW TO BUY menu above, or Email janabouc@gmail.com for more information.

Follow Me on the Web

Copyright Notice & Disclaimer

All work on this blog is copyright Jana Bouc 2006-2017, all rights reserved. If you wish to use any of my artwork for any purpose, you must first request such use by emailing me at the email address above under Contact. I sometimes link to products I have purchased and recommend on Amazon; these may be affiliate links that return a tiny percentage to me for products purchased via those links.